That's a great question. A lot of air purifiers/air cleaners have activated carbon filters to help remove chemicals, odors, smoke, etc, and sometimes it's hard to tell if it's still working or not or exactly when you need to change them. The manufacturers usually give a suggested time frame for changing the filters, but then state that how long an activated carbon filter lasts really depends on the amount of pollutants in the area, which is a little confusing.

A good rule of thumb is to change out all filters, HEPA and activated carbon/charcoal filters once per year, especially if you're really sensitive to indoor air pollution. If you're extremely sensitive, don't take a chance-change your filters any time symptoms even begin to reappear.

For the rest of us that may not be able to tell if we're really sensitive or not, but still want a better idea of how long our activated carbon/charcoal filters last and really when to change them, there is a way to 'test' it-by how well it is still removing odors and smells.

Military grade carbon in gas masks, and in good carbon/charcoal air purifier filters work by absorbing or attracting airborne chemical residues in the air. And since odors and smells also come from airborne chemical molecules and residues, if an activated carbon/charcoal filter in your air purifier is still working well, it should be able to mostly or completely remove an odor or smell in a matter of minutes, right?

So, one way to 'test' your activated carbon/charcoal air filter is to put your air purifier either in the kitchen after you've finished cooking, making coffee, or spray a little air freshener or cologne into the air around you, then turn the air purifier on high for 15 minutes or so. If the smell goes away completely or is very noticeably reduced, the activated carbon/charcoal filter is probably still doing its job trapping the airborne chemical molecules responsible for the smell.

You can test the filter again later and if it takes longer to get rid of the odors, that tells you that the carbon is 'filling' up and the air is needing to circulate through the air purifier a few more times to become clean. True military grade carbon/charcoal filters (as in Austin Air purifiers) will do a better job and last longer, but once you begin to notice that odors aren't going away like they used to, that carbon filter is probably 'full' and needs to be changed to make sure you and your family are still breathing clean air.

Rex Murphy is an avid health enthusiast, former martial arts instructor, US Army Officer, an expert in the field of air purification, and has a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University.

Rex is also the owner of Air Purifiers and Cleaners.com, an online resource / store for health information and tips, and great deals on quality air purifiers, dehumidifier humidifier units, air purifier filters and more!

Visit us today! http://www.airpurifiersandcleaners.com

Activated Carbon/Charcoal Air Filters: How Long Do They Really Last?

Foot odor is a type of body odor that affects the feet of humans and is generally considered to be an unpleasant smell. Foot odor is common when you wear shoes that don't "breathe". Foot odor is caused by bacteria that reproduce rapidly. Foot odor is one of the toughest problems to overcome mostly because there has been little research into the condition.

A podiatrist can help you diagnose your foot odor problem and identify any biological sources of odor or infection, as well as help you develop a treatment plan to get rid of your foot odor for good. Putting inserts in shoes will mask part of the problem, but they won't solve it as they fail to kill bacteria. This is why you should seek more effective methods to eliminate the root cause of this embarrassing condition.

Systemic elimination of foot odor is possible through the regulated use of many of the herbal remedies given here.

If used continuously for several weeks at a stretch, the herbal extracts of sage will prove itself to be an excellent remedy in the elimination of foot odor.

To control the odor, soak your feet several times a week in one-third cup of apple cider vinegar added to a small pan of warm water.

Mix one teaspoon with one or two gallons of water in a container with Alum , and soak your feet for 30 minutes. After, rinse with clear water; repeat after four days. Doing this for a month should get rid of your foot odor.

Baking soda is another effective remedy for this condition. If you sprinkle it in your shoes daily, it should help to absorb the odor.

Boil a quart of water and add 5 black tea bags. After the water cools, soak your feet for 30 minutes. Tannin's in the tea are astringent, which will prevent your feet from perspiring.

Juice two dozen radishes, add a quarter teaspoon of glycerine, and put in a squirt or spray-top bottle. Use as an underarm deodorant or to reduce foot odor.

Take a zinc supplement, or try to ensure that you are getting at least 15 milligrams in your multi-vitamin. This remedy should reduce or eliminate the odor within a week or two. The zinc may make the skin more resistant to the bacteria causing the odor.

Always consult with your herbalist or healthcare professional if you believe your condition to be chronic.

Mary Freeman is an accomplished Author who writes articles on Natural and Home Remedies. To access her remedy website, please visit http://www.eRemedySpot.com

Natural Foot Odor Remedies

Many women have the distressing problem or unpleasant body odor from "down below" and simply are at a loss to know how to deal with it. Ironically, some of the things we do to try to alleviate the issue can make matters even worse. There are a number of ways to prevent fishy vagina odor naturally though, which are not difficult to do and are worth implementing straight away.

Fishy vaginal odor is nearly always caused by an imbalance of the naturally occurring bacteria which normally resides there without problem. The different strains co-exist and are balanced by the slightly acidic PH level. When the PH level is disrupted, an overgrowth of harmful bacteria usually occurs and it is this which causes your symptoms.

Harsh treatments and over-zealous washing can often make the problem even worse as what needs to happen is that the levels of good bacteria are allowed to grow and keep the harmful strains in check.

The ways to prevent fishy vagina odor naturally revolve around simple self management tips and enhancement of the immune system, thus allowing the body to heal itself. Try the following and you should notice a difference within a day or two.

* Only wash twice a day and avoid using perfumed soaps

* Stop smoking, if applicable

* Use a condom for intercourse

* Avoid douching

* Wear only cotton panties

* Avoid tight trousers and pantyhose

* Eat a small pot of live yogurt daily

* Introduce some live yogurt into the vagina via a tampon. This can increase the levels of healthy bacteria

Very commonly, unpleasant vaginal odor is a result of the very common condition known as bacterial vaginosis. If your discharge is fairly watery and gray or white in color, this is very likely to be the case, although you may wish for your doctor to give a diagnosis.

The above ways to prevent fishy vagina odor naturally also apply for bacterial vaginosis. However, there are specific, robust strategies you can try for fast relief and permanent prevention.

Odor

Although not harmful in its early stages, if bacterial vaginosis is left untreated it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and can even render some women infertile. Therefore, it is always a good idea to treat the condition promptly. You are particularly at risk if you get repeated attacks.

There are a couple of excellent, tried and tested strategies for dealing with the problem very quickly. You could have complete symptomatic relief within a couple of hours and be completely cured within just 3 days.

Ways To Prevent Fishy Vagina Odor Naturally

If you are searching for a home remedy for vaginal odor, it is very likely that you have bacterial vaginosis, the most common cause of this problem. Bacterial vaginosis is caused by an overgrowth of naturally occurring bacteria within the vagina. There are various causes of the overgrowth, but the symptoms are usually the same-an itching, burning feeling, a gray or white watery discharge and a very unpleasant fishy odor. In addition, some women suffer from similar symptoms to those of a urinary tract infection.

One effective home remedy for vaginal odor is to wear cotton panties. Synthetic materials can cause overheating and do not allow air to circulate freely, thus encouraging the further growth of bacteria. Some women also find that wearing a thin panty liner can absorb the odor a little. For others, the cause of the smell may be an overenthusiastic use of perfumed product. ironically, bad vaginal odor is very rarely caused by poor hygiene. Therefore avoiding over washing and only using non-perfumed products can help. In addition, it is vital that tampons and sanitary towels are changed frequently.

Some women find that a change in sexual partner can bring on an attack of bacterial vaginosis and therefore cause a fishy odor. Firstly, it is important to understand that this is not related to a sexually transmitted infection but merely the body reacting to a change in the normal flora of the vagina. If you think this might be the case, it would be worth wearing a condom until the situation settles down.

For some women, this condition can remain in the background, never really going away and if this is the case for you, it would be advisable to consider taking decisive action to eliminate bad vaginal odor permanently.

There are a select number of bestselling remedies for bacterial vaginosis which are 100% guaranteed to work. I have chosen my top 3 remedies-one of which I have used successfully myself and the others are chosen because they too have a high level of customer satisfaction and I firmly believe that choice is a good thing! If you would like to chose from the best at-home treatments available at no risk whatsoever, please visit Home Remedy For Vaginal Odor.

Home Remedy For Vaginal Odor

Gas BBQ - Choose the Best

Charcoal Odor

Charcoal Odor

There are many types of bbq grills available in the market. There are charcoal grills, smoker grills and various others. But among all the best and the most popular is the gas BBQ. The purists however will suggest otherwise. According to the barbecue purists the best form of grill is the charcoal grill.

The reason why charcoal grill is said to be the best is because it retains the taste of the meat when cooked. But since the gas BBQ has become available in the market the demand for charcoal grill has faded out. This is because charcoal grill creates a lot of mess while cooking and also is not easily portable. On the other hand gas grill is very convenient and portable. It only takes a twist of the knob for it to start working.

There are many benefits of choosing gas barbecues: The most obvious advantage is the opportunity to get rid of all the mess if you use gas BBQ. Unlike charcoal grill, gas barbecues are easy to start. It also helps you to maintain an even temperature. This in turn helps you to cook your food evenly without having to worry about your food being burnt. It is best both for outdoor and indoor barbecue. You can also carry it to a distant place if you are traveling as it is very light and easily portable. If you are planning a backyard bbq then you can connect it directly to home gas line. If you are camping outdoors or traveling then it can be used with the help of a refillable propane tank. It is easy to use as you can turn it on with the help of a switch or a knob. It is easy to control the cooking temperature in a gas barbecue. With the twist of a knob or a switch you can lower or increase the temperature as and when you want. But in charcoal grill it is not easy and unless you are an expert you will end up burning your food more often then not. Gas grills also come equipped with different burners. Thus accordingly you can choose which burner to use to cook the food on. Different burners in the gas grill will provide you different level of heat. Because it comes equipped with multiple burners you can cook various items at the same time. Thus it also helps you to save time. The other very important factor with gas grill is its easy maintenance. Once you finish cooking you can simply turn off the burner and clean the surface. But in charcoal grill you will have to wait for the surface to cool down and then you can start with the cleaning. One very important benefit of gas grill is it helps you to retain the flavor of the food. When you cook food in charcoal grill then you tend to get a charcoal odor in your food.These are some of the reasons why gas grill is more preferred today when it comes to barbecue parties. It is convenient and affordable and thus preferred by the majority.

For any help on Bbq [http://www.buyabbq.com.au/], check out the info available online; these will help you learn to find the Gas bbq [http://www.buyabbq.com.au/]!

The smell of Skunk Odor is terrible to the human nose! After reading this, you should be able to use some or all of the techniques to get rid of the odor. Our human nose is extremely sensitive to this smell, able to pick out even a concentration of just one part in a billion, making it very important that the smell is eliminated.

Everyone knows about the skunk's defensive spray of odor. Skunks are known to have sprayed humans, animals, cars, property etc when they are alarmed. The spray is a yellow oily musk, which they either release as a mist or as a spray. They can spray the target up to 20 feet away. Normally there are warning signs before the skunk will spray, unless it is alarmed suddenly.

Domestically, the most common incidence of skunk spraying is on your pet dog. Dogs will attempt to defend their territory and will confront skunks as well. This is where the majority of skunk odor problems come in.

If your dog has been "skunked", the most important rule is to not let him get indoors. You do not want your home to smell like a skunk. And once the smell is indoors, it will be very difficult to remove, as it can permeate porous objects such as untreated wood, concrete, plasterboard, soundproofing materials, sponges (think about your sofa and beds!)

Check your dog's eyes. If they have been sprayed, they will be red and irritated. Temporary blindness can also occur (for about 10-15 minutes). Use eye-drops or olive oil on the eyes to soothe the irritation.

The following concoction is known to work to eliminate skunk odor for your dog. A word of warning though, only make this when needed, and never store it - the oxygen produced by the Hydrogen Peroxide can cause explosions in closed containers.

I hope you have gained some knowledge on the techniques to eliminate skunk odor from your pet. Of course you can always run out and buy a commercial skunk deodorizer products from your drug store, but those do not always work.

Jeremy Duncan writes on a variety of topics. To learn more about skunk odor removal, click here - http://www.theinfopublishers.com/recommends/noskunkodor

Eliminate Skunk Odor With These Techniques

Along with vaginal dryness, vaginal itch, and vaginal discharge, vaginal odor is one the leading reasons women consult gynecologists. Even in healthy women, normal vaginal secretions can have a slightly "cheesy" or "antiseptic" smell. Contact of the vagina with semen can result in the release of a "fishy" odor. The greatest amount of vaginal discharge occurs at the midpoint of a woman's menstrual cycle, so this odor will naturally be stronger around the time of ovulation, when fertility is greatest.

Vaginal mucus (distinguished from menstrual blood) is released all the time, but the volume of discharge is about twice as great around Day 14 of a woman's period. The actual volume of discharge is normally 2 to 4 ml, about 1/2 a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon a day. Immediately after the menstrual period the mucus is "slippery" and produced in higher volume, and right around ovulation the mucus is "dry" and produced in lower volume.

The relationship of vaginal odor to vaginal infections is not easy to sort out. It is possible to have an infection without odor, and it is possible to have odor without infection. Odor can also result from excessive growth of bacteria that normally inhabit a healthy vagina, such as Gardnerella. Vaginal odor can be caused by yeast or trichomonas, but about a third of women who have issues with vaginal odor do not have infections with any common microorganism.

Vaginal odor can also be a symptom of chlamydia infection or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). If excessive vaginal odor is an issue, a trip to the doctor is in order to ensure that these two serious conditions do not exist. Looking at the vaginal mucus under the microscope usually reveals the exact source of the odor, but inflammatory processes that have nothing to do with infection can also cause odor problems.

As a general rule, however, itching with no odor is caused by yeast infection while inflammation with a strong "cheese" odor is caused by bacterial infection. Antifungals are prescribed for yeast infection, while antibiotics may be prescribed for bacterial infection-it is important to get the right treatment! Diflucan and fluconazole are more likely to be the right treatment when there is no strong odor, just vaginal itch.

Don't ignore vaginal odor. It is important to get treatment for bacterial infections of the vagina. Untreated infections with the bacterium Gardnerella can result in salpingitis, endometrial infection, pelvic inflammatory disease, and premature labor. Any kind of uterine surgery becomes much more likely to result in infection, and the woman also becomes more at risk for infection with HIV. Women at the highest risk for bacterial infections of the vagina are those who:

Â· Recently started sexual relations with a new male partner.

Â· Have lower estrogen levels as a result of perimenopause, the years of a woman's life before full menopause.

What Causes Strong Vaginal Odor?

The last thing any woman wants to worry is the odor coming from the menstruation. It is not only uncomfortable but it could also be embarrassing. Good thing there are now ways you can eliminate that embarrassing odor coming from your menstruation and it is not that hard to follow.

Use healthier and fragrance free feminize wash. The blood itself from your monthly period is odorless but if there are bacteria present on it then it is likely to have that odor. You can lessen the odor or totally eliminate it by using fragrance free feminine wash. Try to wash your private area as often as possible and change your sanitary pads every four hours.

Avoid scented sanitary pads or tampons. The scent from your sanitary pads and tampons can only add up for you to have that embarrassing odor. The scent from these products can lower the pH balance of your system which in turn can increase odor and even infections. So choose for unscented products to help eliminate menstrual odor.

Avoid using baby wipes or wet wipes when wiping yourself clean. This will surely affects the pH balance of your body. If you want to feel fresh and clean after urinating for instance while you have your period, it is wise to carry a bottle of water with you to wash off yourself or use a wet tissue instead.

Wash your hands thoroughly. Always wash your hands after and before you used the comfort room. The menstrual odor do cling on your hands so make sure to wash it using scented or anti bacterial soap.

Spray on a light scented cologne. Do not use any heavy scented perfume because the heat from your body will make the odor worst when combine with the heavy scent coming from your perfume.

Carry an extra pair of underwear. Sanitary napkins need to be change every four hours so as your underwear. You can get some side leaks especially if you move a lot or if you have heavy periods so it is better to have another pair of underwear with you than to sit all day stained and soaked with menstrual blood.

Take regular showers. If possible take a bath in the morning and before you go to sleep. This will eliminate the odor from your private area and from your body as well.

If you will take good care of yourself and observed proper hygiene, then menstrual period odor will not be a problem for you but in case you still experience the same odor even after your period, then it is better to consult your doctor about it because you might have an infection already.

Fritz G. Anderson enjoys writing about health and health conditions. He is also interested in French Country Furniture. You can read more about French Country Furniture on his website at http://frenchcountryfurniture.me.

Eliminate Menstrual Odor Effectively

Can people with body odor (BO) be "immune" to their own unpleasant odor?

That's correct. The human nose can recognize 4,000 different scents and a really sensitive proboscis can detect up to 10,000 different scents. But if you smell something for a long time, your nose gets overwhelmed by the odor and can no longer detect it.

That' s the reason why the perfume you're wearing loses its fragrance after a while and your friendly garbage collector isn't bothered at all by the trash around him. Other people can easily smell these things but not those who have been exposed to the same odors for quite some lime.

Can goiter cause BO?

Like bad breath which can indicate the presence of kidney disease or diabetes, BO can also signal an underlying medical problem. Goiter due to hyperthyroidism (or an overactive thyroid) can promote sweating, making your body more hospitable to odor causing bacteria.

Certain metabolic infectious disorders, some drugs and foods like garlic, onions, and asparagus, can likewise cause BO. The same is true with uremia (a serious disease wherein the kidneys fail to eliminate waste products) and pneumonia.

If the problem persists in spite of good personal hygiene and the use of an effective deodorant, it's time to consult a physician to discover the root of your problem.

Can working in a chemical factory lead to BO?

Working in a chemical factory can probably make you smell bad but that doesn't mean the stench will linger on even after you've left the place.

The culprit in BO or bromhidrosis is bacteria acting on secretions of the apocrine sweat glands. Compared to the eccrine sweat glands that cool the body, the apocrine glands produce a milky fluid which has no known function except as food for bacteria.

When bacteria digest this food, they produce 3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid which has a stench that's enough to drive your enemies away. This becomes obvious in about six hours and the odor becomes stronger in warm weather.

Apocrine glands are found mainly in the underarms and the crotch which explains why these areas stink easily if you don't practice good personal hygiene. Asians have fewer apocrine glands than Americans or Europeans. That means they stink less than other people. The bad news is that men have bigger apocrine glands and more androgen, the male hormone that stimulates the odor-producing gland.

For beautiful skin use Lumnaderm, a whitening cream that eliminates freckles, unsightly age spots, sun spots, blemishes and hyperpigmentation. When used as directed, Lumnaderm will balance uneven skin tones and illuminate your skin. For more information, visit http://www.lumnaderm.com/.

Odor

Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine [http://www.HealthLinesNews.com]